Maria Shriver calls order to remove Trump's name from Kennedy Center a 'great birthday gift' for JFK

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Maria Shriver, niece of the late John F Kennedy, welcomed a federal judge’s ruling ordering the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, calling it a fitting tribute on what would have been the former president's 109th birthday. 

The ruling found that the Kennedy Center’s board lacked authority to rename the institution without congressional approval and blocked plans for a lengthy closure tied to proposed renovations. 

Maria Shriver celebrates ruling as court reaffirms congressional authority

Shriver, the daughter of JFK's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, reacted shortly after US District Judge Christopher Cooper issued a 94-page ruling on Friday, May 29.

“An appropriate birthday present on my uncle's birthday today,” the former first lady of California wrote on social media.

“A federal judge ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board acted unlawfully in renaming the Kennedy Center. The judge held that only Congress can change the Center's name and blocked the planned two-year closure. I know they'll probably appeal and the story isn't over, but for today let’s celebrate a great birthday gift,” she added. 

The dispute stems from a December vote by the Kennedy Center board, which approved renaming the institution the Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. New signage bearing Trump’s name was installed shortly afterward.

In his ruling, Cooper said the board exceeded its legal authority because the center’s name was established by Congress in 1964 as a memorial to JFK following his assassination.  

“The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

As per the order, Trump's name must be removed from the center's title, its facade, and any other physical or digital signage and official materials within 14 days. 

Trump blasts ruling, defends renovation plans

Trump responded to the ruling in a fiery Truth Social post, accusing Judge Cooper of blocking efforts to restore what he described as a deteriorating institution.

“Shockingly, a Judge appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, Christopher Cooper, ruled that The Kennedy Center... is not allowed to close for these renovations,” he wrote.

The president argued that the venue suffers from “years of neglect, decay, and poor maintenance” and claimed experts had identified significant structural concerns, including “rotting beams,” deteriorating parking areas, and other safety hazards. Trump said Judge Cooper "should be ashamed of himself" for the decision. 

He also signaled he may step away from the project unless given authority to proceed with his plans. “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump said.